Thursday, January 19, 2012

Recently I purchased this ground beef log from a local walmart. I purchased it as it was discounted to a price of 8.39. I knew it had a higher fat content, but I was using it for sloppy joes so I could just drain off the excess water and fat.

The weight of the fat was 15.4 Ounces and filled a 16 oz dip container. I then weighed the liquids that were left, they weighed 12 ozs. To simplify that means out of the 5 lbs, 1 3/4 pound was fat and liquid. That means the ground beef weighed 3 1/4 pound.
When looking a the package, it seems like a great deal at 8.39 for 80 ounces (5 lbs) the cost is about 10 cents an ounce, or 1.60 a pound. When the amount of fat and water are taken out, the price is now about 16 cents an ounce or 2.58 a pound, which is just about a dollar higher!

The regular price on this somewhere around 11.00. Paying full price, it would come out to about 3.38 for a pound! An astonishing price for those thinking they are getting a good deal.

As our food prices continue to escalate, in order to stretch our food dollar, we need to have an increased awareness of what we are buying, and the quality of that product. For the purpose of the ground beef, and at the price I paid, I am ok with what I found. Had I paid the full price, I would have been a very disgruntled shopper. Would I ever buy this product again? After this, probably not. I usually buy chuck roasts and grind them myself, that way I can control the amount of fat I have added to the product. For those unable to grind their own meat, then buying a more expensive product might not be such a bad idea!

By the way, for those that are wondering, the taste was just fine for what I made.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Yesterday Mary and I spent the day teaching a 4h group how to make a very simple Scrapbook Mini Album. It looks quite complicated, but is so EASY! We all had a great time! We figure about 10 different scrapbooks were made. Not suprisingly, one of the most popular paper packs were the Halloween one I still had. Great fun was had by all. Pictures coming soon!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Tonight my daughter and I went to see the movie "We Bought a Zoo." It is one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time. I don't wan to ruin the movie for anyone, so this all may seem kinda vague to those of you who have not seen it.

During the movie, I started thinking about death. All that is born, must some time pass on. This may not come at a time that is convenient, thoughtful, or best for everyone. With death, there is usually some sort of sadness, both by those passing, and by those that will remain here.

The movie got me thinking about a time this past July. I have been struggling with pain difficulties for almost three years now. The pain has changed my life and my families life in ways that no one can imagine. It is a result of an accident that occurred. A flash second in time that changed our lives forever.

This past June I had a particularly horrendous flare up. By the beginning of July I was hoping for death. I was not suicidal or anything like that, but if death was to come, it is something I would have welcomed. With the help of many medical professions, and my loving family, I got through it and am still here today. Some days are good, some are awful, but I try to take each day at a time and go from there.

The reason I thought about this time in my life during the movie, it recalled to me that life is an adventure. Something to be lived each moment to the best of our ability. At times, maybe the best we can give is not even getting out of bed, just staying put for the day. Other days we may be filled with life and able to be there for others. Life and the movie, are also about LOVE and overcoming obstacles. There will be many times in our lives that we may feel it unsurmountable to overcome the obstacles in our lives. We do not always receive the results we had planned on, most of the time the results are better than we could have thought.

During this coming year, when the obstacles become too much for us to bear, may we realize that we are loved by at least ONE, we are never alone!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

I was listening to public radio last week, the guest had written a book on willpower. It was such an appropriate topic for me, especially at this time of year. It seems on New Years a lot of us like to make all kinds of goals for the upcoming year. Most of us fail at these, and according to this gentleman, there is a reason why!http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/09/19/willpower

According to his research, we each have just so much willpower, and when we use it, it is GONE! So, if you are really trying to not have donuts, the first one in the morning will be easy to pass up. But, if you keep being tempted by donuts all day, unless you have done something to build up your willpower, by the end of the day, chances are you will fail!

My hope for the year is to grow this blog. I'm trying to have my daughters post also. One of my daughters is in Germany, does more baking than I do lately. She is noted for her cheesecakes, YUM! The other Merry Baker, has also been baking a lot, we just need to have the discipline to sit down and write about it.

My
wish for all of you is to have a PEACEFUL coming year. We may not
always get what we want or hope for. Events we feel are BAD and UNFAIR
will continue to come into our lives. Life will be all around us-both
the good and the bad. Some days it may be extra hard to even just get
out of bed. But, in all of this, may we find the strength to go on, the
determination that may be needed some days to just put one foot in
front of the other and keep going. Realize we are surrounded by love and
warmth. No matter how devastating it may seem, there are people in our
lives who love us and are there for us, if we let them assist us. With
this universal love may we find PEACE in our hearts!

About Me

I started baking as a child. I had an aunt who was into baking and cake decorating, I would go over to her house and watch, sometimes being lucky enough to assist. When I was 18 and needed Christmas presents for the family, not having any money, I turned to baking cookies. Took my first Wilton decorating course about 35 years ago. When my kids were young, I would make and decorate their cakes. I would get lost for hours while decorating, it was a way for me to show my artistic side. Now, many years later, I still enjoy baking.